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Comic-Con is the gift that keeps on giving, whether it's the spandex burn from that crazy night at the Marriott, or the sneak-peak videos that keep emerging online. The above video from the Halo Universe panel gives us some more story behind Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary, and a look at what role the terminals may play in the franchise's future with 343 Industries.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>343-Industriescomic-con-2011halo-combat-evolved-anniversarymicrosoftxboxSat, 30 Jul 2011 20:30:00 ESThttp://www.joystiq.com/2011/07/26/leedmees-preview-like-a-bridge/http://www.joystiq.com/2011/07/26/leedmees-preview-like-a-bridge/http://www.joystiq.com/2011/07/26/leedmees-preview-like-a-bridge/#commentsLeedmees was a nice surprise in the Konami suite at Comic-Con this week -- we haven't posted about it yet at all, and while Fruit Ninja Kinect has gotten a lot of the press as the first downloadable Kinect title, this one looks like it might be the more original.

The game describes, during a dreamy little introduction, the player wandering into a secret magical door somewhere, where little white creatures (called Leedmees, presumably) march in step from one little spinning portal to another. Like the old Lemmings games, Leadmees mindlessly walk forward, and it's up to the player to make sure they get home safely.

But there's one important twist: In Lemmings, you controlled the little creatures, using their abilities to get through the environment. In Leedmees, you are the environment.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>comic-con-2011kinectkonamikonami-japanleedmeeslemmingsmicrosoftpuzzlesdcc-2011two-playerxboxTue, 26 Jul 2011 19:45:00 ESThttp://www.joystiq.com/2011/07/26/telltale-elaborates-on-the-story-and-choices-of-the-walking-dead/http://www.joystiq.com/2011/07/26/telltale-elaborates-on-the-story-and-choices-of-the-walking-dead/http://www.joystiq.com/2011/07/26/telltale-elaborates-on-the-story-and-choices-of-the-walking-dead/#comments
Telltale Games didn't have much of The Walking Dead to show off at Comic-Con except for some screenshots and concept art, but we were provided with game designer Jake Rodkin's assurance that it would not be just another zombie game. "The last shot of this game is probably not going to be a guy with two axes on top of a mile-high mountain of zombies," he said.

Telltale's garnered a reputation for building licensed games not just around a popular setting, but around strong stories and characters as well. The Walking Dead game will fit right into that tradition. It won't feature the main characters of the comic book or the TV show, however -- Rodkin said they didn't want players coming in with preconceived notions about how the game's story should play out. If the game presents you with a choice of going left or right, players may think, "'Well I've seen him turn left twice now, I saw it in the comic book and in the show, so I'm going to go left.' And as much as a designer would hope that people are going to experiment with your system, people would just want to see that story again."

Telltale's game will follow Lee, a prisoner, and Clementine, a young girl he comes across in the zombie apocalypse. And anyone with hopes of anything resembling a feel-good ending should probably check that at the door on the way in. "The Walking Dead," Rodkin said, "is not really a game about people who save the world. It's more about a story of trying to survive as people inside of this huge and horrible situation."

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>comic-con-2011jake-rodkinmicrosoftpcplaystationps3sdcc-2011the-walking-deadxboxTue, 26 Jul 2011 17:05:00 ESThttp://www.joystiq.com/2011/07/26/neil-burger-hits-restart-on-the-uncharted-film/http://www.joystiq.com/2011/07/26/neil-burger-hits-restart-on-the-uncharted-film/http://www.joystiq.com/2011/07/26/neil-burger-hits-restart-on-the-uncharted-film/#comments
Director Neil Burger just so happened to be promoting the DVD release of his movie Limitless at Comic-Con last weekend, and though most of the folks who spoke with him were from movie media, Joystiq sneaked in to grill Burger about his next project: the in-development Uncharted film.

"I'm rewriting the script from scratch, starting like right now -- like we are just starting now," he said. "I love the game, it's great, and I think it's a great start for a movie, because the game is so cinematic," Burger added, before zeroing in on one object of cinematic admiration. "The character Nate in particular I like because he's this ballsy guy that lives by his wits, and who's capable of kind of anything and everything. He's fearless and he doesn't give a damn and he'll go after the thing. I dig that kind of character and it's a great character for a movie."

Mark Wahlberg was rumored to be playing Drake under previous director David O. Russell's oversight. Burger suggested that while both Wahlberg and Limitless star Bradley Cooper could probably both pull the role off in their own ways, the decision of who will wear the half-tuck and jeans is still distant. "Once you get to the end of the screenplay," he said, "you see who's available, who seems right, who's a new actor that's just breaking on that's not even on your radar right now."

Burger agreed there are plenty of good choices to go around, however: "There's a lot of actors who even look like Nathan Drake from the video game who could do it and who would be great for it, so we'll see." Burger wasn't aware of Nathan Fillion's run at the part, but we'll consider him officially back in the mix anyway.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>comic-con-2011filmmovieneil-burgerplaystationps3UnchartedUncharted-1Uncharted-Drakes-FortuneTue, 26 Jul 2011 14:00:00 ESThttp://www.joystiq.com/2011/07/26/rocksteady-and-paul-dini-on-the-storytelling-in-batman-arkham-c/http://www.joystiq.com/2011/07/26/rocksteady-and-paul-dini-on-the-storytelling-in-batman-arkham-c/http://www.joystiq.com/2011/07/26/rocksteady-and-paul-dini-on-the-storytelling-in-batman-arkham-c/#commentsBatman: Arkham City's creators and voice actors steadfastly refused to give out any new information about the game at last weekend's Comic-Con panel, instead just showing a new Penguin trailer. But both Paul Crocker, the lead narrative designer at Rocksteady Studios, and the legendary Paul Dini, Batman writer extraordinaire, kindly sat down to speak with Joystiq beforehand about the story of both Batman: Arkham Asylum and the upcoming sequel.

Arkham Asylum's story was mainly about the Joker's takeover of Arkham and how Batman dealt with it, but those who explored the sidequests and secrets of the game got a look at the overarching plot of the series, that of Warden Quincy Sharp and his mysterious ties to Arkham itself.

That story is what drives the sequel forward, and Crocker says that it actually appeared right in the middle of the two games' development: The secrets in the first game were "a late addition," put in while development on the sequel was alrady underway. "The biggest challenge for us was taking the game out of Arkham Island and into Arkham City," he says. "As people have seen in the secret room in the last game, we had it planned. I guess it was a rough road back, to a degree, because that meant we had to do it. But the idea of the city has grown into bigger and bigger detail, and really that was the biggest challenge."

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>arkham-citybatmanBatman-Arkham-Asylum-2Batman-Arkham-Citycomic-con-2011microsoftpaul-crockerpaul-dinipcplaystationps3warden-quincy-sharpxboxTue, 26 Jul 2011 09:05:00 ESThttp://www.joystiq.com/2011/07/25/kinect-star-wars-preview-pod-racing-people/http://www.joystiq.com/2011/07/25/kinect-star-wars-preview-pod-racing-people/http://www.joystiq.com/2011/07/25/kinect-star-wars-preview-pod-racing-people/#comments
At the Comic-Con panel for Kinect Star Wars earlier this week (the same panel where that R2D2 Xbox was announced), Microsoft's head of Kinect Jorg Neumann told the story of how the game itself came about. Back in 2008, when Kinect was still called Project Natal, and basically consisted of just a camera in a back room at Microsoft, Neumann and his colleagues found an engineer playing with game prototypes on the system, and one of those was a lightsaber simulator. That alone convinced Neumann and his division that Star Wars needed to be on the interface in some format.

And it turns out LucasArts didn't need much convincing either. Lead producer Craig Derrick described flying out to the Microsoft campus to see the proposal for the game, and saying among his own colleagues that all they planned to do was hold out their hand and see what happened. As soon as they pushed a hand out to the Kinect unit, said Derrick, "it knocked over a bunch of droids, and we were like, 'OK, we're in.'"

We saw the game's Force-driven droid pushing and lightsaber waving at E3, but Microsoft and LucasArts introduced a new mode to the game this week: pod racing. Anakin Skywalker's motorsport of choice is in the game as well, and I got to take a pod out for a spin later on in the week at a Microsoft preview event.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>comic-con-2011kinect-star-warslucasartsmicrosoftproject-natalsdcc-2011star-wars-kinectxboxMon, 25 Jul 2011 13:33:00 ESThttp://www.joystiq.com/2011/07/25/the-behemoth-had-the-best-gaming-booth-at-comic-con/http://www.joystiq.com/2011/07/25/the-behemoth-had-the-best-gaming-booth-at-comic-con/http://www.joystiq.com/2011/07/25/the-behemoth-had-the-best-gaming-booth-at-comic-con/#comments
If you were impressed by the arcade machine Sony brought to Comic-Con for Ratchet and Clank: All 4 One, you ain't see nothing yet. Indie developer The Behemoth went all out: They had a booth full of custom-made and designed arcade machines, playing both Castle Crashers and the upcoming Battleblock Theater, complete with all of the requisite joysticks and buttons for four or two players.

The Behemoth (and Newgrounds) co-founder Dan Paladin told me in between signings that the machines were hand-crafted by the company, in a project overseen by The Behemoth's John Baez. And they're even cooler than they appear -- Paladin said that the big screens up on top of the machines were controlled remotely, and could move in and out of the units mechanically for transportation.

If you missed these at Comic-Con, Paladin also said that they'll be on the road with the company, both at PAX Prime and the Tokyo Game Show later this year. The whole enterprise was very impressive; it's no wonder the booth was full all week long.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>Comic-ConCOmic-Con-2011microsoftpcplaystationps3Relic-EntertainmentTHQwarhammerwarhammer-40k-space-marinexboxSun, 24 Jul 2011 17:30:00 ESThttp://www.joystiq.com/2011/07/24/casual-mode-returns-in-gears-of-war-3-brings-casual-multiplayer/http://www.joystiq.com/2011/07/24/casual-mode-returns-in-gears-of-war-3-brings-casual-multiplayer/http://www.joystiq.com/2011/07/24/casual-mode-returns-in-gears-of-war-3-brings-casual-multiplayer/#comments
The deluge of news from Comic-Con continues to, uhm, luge, even as the convention's end draws closer and closer. Game Informer reports that Epic's forthcoming Gears of War 3 will continue the series' tradition of offering an aim-assisted Casual Mode for players who aren't well versed in the delicate art of chainsaw sculpting.

This time around, new players will also be able to sharpen their skills in their own dedicated multiplayer channels. According to USA Today, players who have played Gears online previously, or participated in the Gears 3 beta will be unable to join Casual multi. That seems like overkill -- the honor system would be enough, in our opinions. After all, the Internet has a long and storied history of shepherding and tenderly caring for its newcomers.

To prove as much, Ignition Entertainment has released a new cinematic trailer during this year's Comic-Con, which has been stuffed to the rafters with gooey tentacle angels, stained-glass platforming and futuristic motorcycle chases. Still no word on an Amy Grant Collector's Edition, but we'll keep digging.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>Comic-ConComic-Con-2011el-shaddaiEl-Shaddai-Ascension-of-the-Metatronignition-entertainmentmicrosoftplaystationps3xboxSun, 24 Jul 2011 10:30:00 ESThttp://www.joystiq.com/2011/07/23/soulcalibur-v-screens-show-two-new-characters-and-some-skin/http://www.joystiq.com/2011/07/23/soulcalibur-v-screens-show-two-new-characters-and-some-skin/http://www.joystiq.com/2011/07/23/soulcalibur-v-screens-show-two-new-characters-and-some-skin/#comments
Namco Bandai released a series of SoulCalibur V screens showing two new characters, Zwei and Natsu, and of course Ivy, aged in plotline but not in looks. We don't want to see any older, maternal figures in our real lives wearing this particular outfit, but Ivy can pull it off.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>comic-con-2011microsoftNamco-Bandaiplaystationps3soulcalibur-5soulcalibur-vxboxSat, 23 Jul 2011 22:30:00 ESThttp://www.joystiq.com/2011/07/23/capcom-talks-ultimate-marvel-vs-capcom-3-leaks-and-new-features/http://www.joystiq.com/2011/07/23/capcom-talks-ultimate-marvel-vs-capcom-3-leaks-and-new-features/http://www.joystiq.com/2011/07/23/capcom-talks-ultimate-marvel-vs-capcom-3-leaks-and-new-features/#comments
Capcom held a panel this morning to talk about the recently-announced Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3, and the company shared a few tidbits about how the game is changing for the new version. It took a total of nine minutes before Capcom lead producer Ryota Niitsuma acknowledged the character leaks, joking that "there's a lot of cool stuff in this game, and I'm sure you know all about it."

But while the leaked characters weren't talked about at the panel, Niitsuma did mention a few of the gameplay tweaks. The X-factor move in the game can now be used either on the ground or in the air, and he said that many players would "have to revamp your whole fighting strategy" on that one.

Capcom also revealed that each character, including the older ones, will have two new costumes in the game, and they shared some of the special pre-order bonus costumes for the game. Above, you can see the Best Buy bonuses (including "Graceland Modok" -- "nobody here said Elvis," the panelists joked), and the rest are after the break.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>capcomcomic-con-2011costumesmarvelmicrosoftplaystationps3ultimate-marvel-vs-capcom-3xboxSat, 23 Jul 2011 18:30:00 ESThttp://www.joystiq.com/2011/07/23/telltales-from-the-crypt-the-walking-deads-first-screenshot-to/http://www.joystiq.com/2011/07/23/telltales-from-the-crypt-the-walking-deads-first-screenshot-to/http://www.joystiq.com/2011/07/23/telltales-from-the-crypt-the-walking-deads-first-screenshot-to/#commentsThe Walking Dead is coming alive with the first screenshot from Telltale's adaptation, featuring the escaped criminal Lee Everett and the young girl, Clementine, looking terrified in front of a decrepit motel. Telltale has apparently stepped up its graphics game, and just in time to make The Walking Dead as gory and twisted as its ink-and-paper form.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>comic-con-2011pcTellTale-Gamesthe-walking-deadzombiesSat, 23 Jul 2011 14:30:00 ESThttp://www.joystiq.com/2011/07/23/weta-workshop-takes-time-off-from-the-hobbit-to-design-for-tf2/http://www.joystiq.com/2011/07/23/weta-workshop-takes-time-off-from-the-hobbit-to-design-for-tf2/http://www.joystiq.com/2011/07/23/weta-workshop-takes-time-off-from-the-hobbit-to-design-for-tf2/#comments
In case you missed it buried behind the Soldier's glorious mutton chops, Team Fortress 2's new weapons from Dr. Grordbort's Infallible Aether Oscillators were created in conjunction with WETA Workshop, the makers of Orcs, Na'vi and Prawns for most of the blockbuster movies of this generation.

WETA's Greg Broadmore designed Dr. Grordbort's Infallible Aether Oscillators, which include the Righteous Bison and Cow Mangler 5000, two new weapons in the Victory Pack. To better acquaint players with these stellar WETA weapons, Valve has posted a comic featuring the Soldier and WETA promises special promo coupons at its booth at San Diego Comic-Con. Just watch out for the cow pies.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>comic-con-2011pcsdcc-2011STEAMTeam-Fortress-2valvevictory-packWETASat, 23 Jul 2011 05:00:00 ESThttp://www.joystiq.com/2011/07/23/dragon-age-redemption-teases-a-tentative-release-date-and-detail/http://www.joystiq.com/2011/07/23/dragon-age-redemption-teases-a-tentative-release-date-and-detail/http://www.joystiq.com/2011/07/23/dragon-age-redemption-teases-a-tentative-release-date-and-detail/#commentsDragon Age Redemption is bringing big-screen talent to an online miniseries, including Independence Day producer Peter Winther as director, Lost's John Bartley as executive producer and Hellboy's Doug Jones acting alongside Felicia Day (who, to this crowd, needs no introduction). At the Redemption Comic-Con panel, Day revealed that each episode will run six to 10 minutes, or an hour in total. Day, who wrote the script, said she modeled Redemption after The Guild, where each episode has a beginning, middle and end.

Redemption was also confirmed as canonical within the Dragon Age universe. The series doesn't have an official host site or release date yet, although Day did say, "It should be out early this fall. Don't tweet that." Luckily for us, this isn't Twitter.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>Abe-Sapienbiowarecomic-con-2011Dragon-Age-2dragon-age-redemptioneafelicia-daypcsdcc-2011The-GuildSat, 23 Jul 2011 03:00:00 ESThttp://www.joystiq.com/2011/07/22/dead-rising-2-off-the-record-puts-west-in-greenes-jacket-offe/http://www.joystiq.com/2011/07/22/dead-rising-2-off-the-record-puts-west-in-greenes-jacket-offe/http://www.joystiq.com/2011/07/22/dead-rising-2-off-the-record-puts-west-in-greenes-jacket-offe/#comments
We recall fondly last year's Dead Rising 2 panel, learning new information about weapons, plot and a Zombrex webseries, and it seems this year Capcom didn't want to mess with success. The Capcom panel revealed little new information about any of its titles, except for one game, Dead Rising 2: Off the Record, an enhanced version of 2010's zombie sequel.

Pre-ordering Off the Record from Gamestop will give you cosplay clothing pack DLC, and anyone who played Dead Rising 2 can get Chuck Greene's jacket for Frank West to wear. Because the one thing we want when we're playing the revamp of a sequel whose second protagonist has been replaced by the original, is to see the original wearing the second's jacket. Finally, someone understands us.

Capcom also confirmed it is teaming up with IDW Publishing to release a graphic novel, Dead Rising: Road to Fortune, this October. Off the Record is scheduled to drop October 11, so that might be a good time for the comic to release too. Just sayin'.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>Capcomchuck-greenecomic-con-2011dead-rising-2dead-rising-2-off-the-recordfrank-westIDWjacketmicrosoftpcplaystationps3xboxFri, 22 Jul 2011 21:45:00 ESThttp://www.joystiq.com/2011/07/22/goldeneye-007-reloaded-preview-bringing-back-bond/http://www.joystiq.com/2011/07/22/goldeneye-007-reloaded-preview-bringing-back-bond/http://www.joystiq.com/2011/07/22/goldeneye-007-reloaded-preview-bringing-back-bond/#comments
Here we go again. It was almost a certainty last year that we'd see the version of GoldenEye 007 released for the Wii eventually brought out to the HD consoles, but it's fair to say that Activision surprised everyone with the reveal of GoldenEye 007: Reloaded, being released this fall as a full retail title.

So yes, the odds are that we'll all be playing through GoldenEye (first created by Rare for the Nintendo 64 fourteen years ago, and reimagined by Eurocom for the Wii release last year) yet again. This new version has the modern story tweaks, the addition of Daniel Craig, and all of the other reimaginings from the Wii, but Eurocom is aiming for even more, adding in a new set of modes called MI-6 Ops, as well as co-op and full competitive multiplayer. If Call of Duty had a baby with Rare's classic, this is what would crawl out.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>capcomcomic-concomic-con-2011katsuhiro-haradamicrosoftnamcoplaystationps3san-diego-comic-consan-diego-comic-con-2011sdcc-2011street-fighter-x-tekkentekken-x-street-fighterxboxyoshinori-onoFri, 22 Jul 2011 18:40:00 ESThttp://www.joystiq.com/2011/07/22/darksiders-2-preview-death-pays-a-visit/http://www.joystiq.com/2011/07/22/darksiders-2-preview-death-pays-a-visit/http://www.joystiq.com/2011/07/22/darksiders-2-preview-death-pays-a-visit/#comments
So you have a pretty popular game, starring an interesting and original rendition of one of the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse. It sells well. In fact, it sells well enough that it gives a distraught publisher a much-needed influx of revenue and then, when the time comes to make the sequel, you decide to completely replace the protagonist everyone knows, and bring in a brand new character that wasn't ever seen in the first game.

That's what comic book artist-turned Vigil Games founder Joe Madureira did, and though Darksiders 2 definitely looks like it's turning out well, even he says he had doubts. "I still wonder if it's a smart thing," he told me at Comic-Con this week, "because usually when you're building a franchise around a character, you really try and keep the same character." Well, yeah.

"But it was a momentary apprehension. As soon as we concepted him and we had him running in the game, it was a cooler character." He says that THQ didn't have a problem with the change either: "They were like, yeah, this is a cool idea."

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>comic-con-2011darksiders-2deathjoe-madureiramicrosoftplaystationps3sdcc-2011thqwarxboxFri, 22 Jul 2011 18:20:00 ESThttp://www.joystiq.com/2011/07/22/retro-city-rampage-playable-at-comic-con-even-without-a-pass/http://www.joystiq.com/2011/07/22/retro-city-rampage-playable-at-comic-con-even-without-a-pass/http://www.joystiq.com/2011/07/22/retro-city-rampage-playable-at-comic-con-even-without-a-pass/#comments
If you don't mind hanging out in a Hard Rock establishment, you have an opportunity to play a bunch of unreleased games, including Retro City Rampage. In case it weren't abundantly clear from our past coverage of RCR, we're big proponents of not just the game itself, but of the developer's dogged entrepreneurial spirit, so we wanted to make sure you knew about two chances this weekend to play it at Microsoft's Hard Rock-based Comic Con Xbox lounge. Extra convenient? No SDCC pass is required to attend.

In between snacking on sliders and getting your 8-bit open-world on, you may also want to check out some of the other games available to play -- everything from Orcs Must Die to Batman: Arkham City, we're told. And before you head over, why not take a look through a brand new set of Comic-Con screens for RCR, just below? Details for the weekend can be found after the break.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>brian-provincianocomic-con-2011hard-rock-hotelmicrosoftnintendoretro-city-rampagesan-diego-comic-consan-diego-comic-con-2011sdcc-2011vblankvblank-entertainmentwiixboxFri, 22 Jul 2011 15:30:00 ESThttp://www.joystiq.com/2011/07/21/spider-man-goes-to-the-edge-of-time-in-comic-con-video/http://www.joystiq.com/2011/07/21/spider-man-goes-to-the-edge-of-time-in-comic-con-video/http://www.joystiq.com/2011/07/21/spider-man-goes-to-the-edge-of-time-in-comic-con-video/#comments
Here's a new Spider-Man: Edge of Time video so fresh from the floor of Comic-Con that its heart is still racing a bit from meeting Garth Ennis. In it you'll find more than your fair share of web hammers, well-orchestrated falling and, puzzlingly, exploding punches. Enjoy.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>activisionbeenoxcomic-con-2011microsoftplaystationps3spider-man-edge-of-timespiderman-edge-of-timexboxThu, 21 Jul 2011 19:30:00 ESThttp://www.joystiq.com/2011/07/21/freddy-krueger-haunting-mortal-kombat-august-9/http://www.joystiq.com/2011/07/21/freddy-krueger-haunting-mortal-kombat-august-9/http://www.joystiq.com/2011/07/21/freddy-krueger-haunting-mortal-kombat-august-9/#comments
The news of Mortal Kombat's next downloadable brawler, Nightmare on Elm Street antagonist Freddy Krueger, is weird for a number of reasons. First off: It's Freddy Krueger in Mortal Kombat. We didn't know non-gaming murderers were allowed to join the party! Secondly: Wouldn't his inclusion be predicated on the fact that everyone in the Mortal Kombat universe is asleep while they're fighting? That seems like it would be difficult to do.

Check out Freddy's appropriately brutal announcement trailer above, and decide whether you're going to grab him from your respective DLC marketplace when he arrives August 9.

Update: A Warner Bros. press release has revealed that Freddy will cost 400 Microsoft Points ($4.99), and will be free to Season Pass subscribers. Comic-Con 2011 attendees can check out his sweet, Baraka-esque moves at the GameStop in San Diego's Westfield Horton Plaza between 7 and 10 p.m. PT.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>comic-con-2011gameplayLegend-of-Zelda-2010nintendonintendo-eadsan-diego-comic-consan-diego-comic-con-2011sdcc-2011The-Legend-of-Zelda-Skyward-SwordwiiThu, 21 Jul 2011 17:40:00 ESThttp://www.joystiq.com/2011/07/21/x-men-destiny-preview/http://www.joystiq.com/2011/07/21/x-men-destiny-preview/http://www.joystiq.com/2011/07/21/x-men-destiny-preview/#comments
Silicon Knights founder Denis Dyack is happy to hear that X-Men Destiny looks unlike many of the games already based on Marvel's mutant universe. "We've been collaborating with Marvel and Activision to do things very differently," he says.

In most X-Men games, you pick a familiar hero, like Wolverine or Gambit, and then explore the world from his or her point of view. In X-Men Destiny, however, Dyack and his team have been given free reign to separate powers from characters. Your custom-built hero can play through the RPG-driven side of the game by equipping powers as you would gear. You could combine Cyclops' eyebeams with Juggernaut's charge, or Wolvie's healing factor, all while finding a place in the campaign somewhere between the X-Men and the Brotherhood of Mutants.

Unfortunately, while there are a lot of interesting touches in the story and powers system, X-Men Destiny's core game struggles to hold the higher ideas up. The graphics look only marginally better than those leaked screens, and even in the short demo I played the game's combat and enemies teetered on the verge of becoming notably repetitive.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>activisioncomic-con-2011denis-dyackmicrosoftmutantsplaystationpowersps3silicon-knightsx-menX-Men-DestinyxboxThu, 21 Jul 2011 15:50:00 ESThttp://www.joystiq.com/2011/07/21/report-kirby-wii-officially-named-kirby-returns-to-dreamland/http://www.joystiq.com/2011/07/21/report-kirby-wii-officially-named-kirby-returns-to-dreamland/http://www.joystiq.com/2011/07/21/report-kirby-wii-officially-named-kirby-returns-to-dreamland/#comments
After waking up just in time to briefly appear at Nintendo's E3 2011 press conference, Kirby will apparently be heading back to Dreamland in his forthcoming Wii appearance. In speaking with a Nintendo rep at this week's San Diego Comic Con, Siliconera heard that the none-too-subtly-named Kirby Wii will actually be named "Kirby Returns to Dreamland" when it arrives this fall.

Nintendo has yet to confirm the title, but we expect we'll hear official word when the company decides to make a big release date announcement. And given how much we liked the game when we played it back at E3, here's hoping that announcement comes soon.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>comic-con-2011hal-laboratorykirby-returns-to-dreamlandkirby-wiinintendosan-diego-comic-consan-diego-comic-con-2011sdcc-2011wiiThu, 21 Jul 2011 15:24:00 ESThttp://www.joystiq.com/2011/07/21/final-fights-poison-playable-in-street-fighter-x-tekken/http://www.joystiq.com/2011/07/21/final-fights-poison-playable-in-street-fighter-x-tekken/http://www.joystiq.com/2011/07/21/final-fights-poison-playable-in-street-fighter-x-tekken/#comments
A couple of Street Fighter X Tekken trailers appear to have gotten out early -- something that's been happening a lot lately -- revealing a noteworthy addition to the roster. Poison, first seen as an enemy in Final Fight and later as Hugo's manager in Street Fighter 3, will be playable in Street Fighter X Tekken -- only her second playable appearance in a fighting game, after 1999's Final Fight: Revenge.

Another trailer, after the break, reveals Yoshimitsu. Surprise! Yoshimitsu's in a Tekken game! Also seen for the first time in these trailers are Dhalsim and the teased Steve Fox.

Or, in English, Microsoft just revealed a new R2D2-styled Xbox 360 Kinect bundle at Comic-Con, in honor of Kinect Star Wars. The Xbox has a special R2D2 look and custom console sounds, and is bundled with a gold, C3P0-style controller (Oh, my!) and an all-white Kinect. It also includes Kinect Star Wars, Kinect Adventures, and a 320GB hard drive!

The bundle will be out this fall. Pre-orders for the $449 bundle are expected to begin today.

Update: Added official pics to the gallery, and moved our Comic-Con snapshot past the break!

Update 2: According to Gavin Spicer of Xbox UK PR, the bundle is coming to the UK as well, though no details have been announced yet.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>bundlecomic-con-2011kinectkinect-adventureskinect-star-warsmicrosoftstar-warsstar-wars-kinectxboxThu, 21 Jul 2011 13:40:00 ESThttp://www.joystiq.com/2011/07/20/activision-reveals-april-launch-for-prototype-2-september-for-x/http://www.joystiq.com/2011/07/20/activision-reveals-april-launch-for-prototype-2-september-for-x/http://www.joystiq.com/2011/07/20/activision-reveals-april-launch-for-prototype-2-september-for-x/#comments
Kicking off its San Diego Comic Con announcements, game publishing giant Activision today revealed two solid, very different release dates for two hopefully solid, very different games. First up, Prototype 2 will surf victims' bodies into retail on April 24, 2012. A new trailer for next year's sequel is available just below the break, fresh from San Diego.

Additionally, a new trailer for X-Men Destiny was released, which puts a September 27 launch date on the next project from Silicon Knights. Given the origin of both pieces of info, SDCC attendees should be aware that X-Men Destiny will be playable at this week's show, while "15-minute live stage presentations" for Prototype 2 will be going off at the Activision booth.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>activisioncomic-con-2011microsoftpcplaystationprototype-2ps3q2-2012q4-2011radicalradical-entertainmentrelease-datesan-diego-comic-consan-diego-comic-con-2011sdccsdcc-2011silicon-knightsx-men-destinyxboxWed, 20 Jul 2011 19:30:00 ESThttp://www.joystiq.com/2011/07/19/sony-unveils-san-diego-comic-con-lineup-panels-crazy-arcade-ca/http://www.joystiq.com/2011/07/19/sony-unveils-san-diego-comic-con-lineup-panels-crazy-arcade-ca/http://www.joystiq.com/2011/07/19/sony-unveils-san-diego-comic-con-lineup-panels-crazy-arcade-ca/#comments
Sony's presence at this year's San Diego Comic Con is, like Qwark's chest, large and complex. Beyond bringing major retail releases like Resistance 3 and Twisted Metal for attendees to play, the publisher is showcasing a variety of wares from PSN indies like thatgamecompany's Journey and Minority Games' Papo & Yo.

The company is hosting several presentations on a handful of its games -- everything from Starhawk to Uncharted 3 -- along with with the chance to play a variety of unreleased PlayStation titles. If that weren't enough, the construction of a full Ratchet & Clank: All 4 One arcade cabinet specifically for SDCC 2011 should help to get you on board. Take an early peek at the cabinet in working order just below the break.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>comic-con-2011journeypapo-and-yoplaystationps3Ratchet-and-Clank-All-4-Oneresistance-3san-diegosan-diego-comic-consan-diego-comic-con-2011sdccsdcc-2011sony-computer-entertainmentsony-computer-entertainment-americatwisted-metal-2011uncharted-3-drakes-deceptionTue, 19 Jul 2011 15:53:00 ESThttp://www.joystiq.com/2011/07/19/halo-primoridum-is-next-forerunner-saga-novel-available-januar/http://www.joystiq.com/2011/07/19/halo-primoridum-is-next-forerunner-saga-novel-available-januar/http://www.joystiq.com/2011/07/19/halo-primoridum-is-next-forerunner-saga-novel-available-januar/#commentsHalo: Primordium, the second novel in the Halo Forerunner Saga, will be available in book and audio editions on January 3, 2012. Award-winning science fiction author Greg Bear returns to the writer's chair and continues the story he began in Cryptum.

Bear will also be present at the San Diego Comic-Con this weekend in the back-to-back Halo panels, "Writing in Videogames: In-Game, Novels, Comics, and Other Franchise-Building Offshoots" (Room 32AB), and "Halo Universe" (Room 6BCF), at 10AM and 11:30AM, respectively. At 2PM, he'll be doing signings at booth #2707 with Frank O'Connor, Karen Traviss and Kevin Grace, so bring your cat helmets.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>Comic-Con-2011Greg-BearHaloHalo-PrimordiummicrosoftxboxTue, 19 Jul 2011 13:25:00 ESThttp://www.joystiq.com/2011/07/18/orcs-must-die-coming-to-pc-and-xbla-this-summer-comic-con-this/http://www.joystiq.com/2011/07/18/orcs-must-die-coming-to-pc-and-xbla-this-summer-comic-con-this/http://www.joystiq.com/2011/07/18/orcs-must-die-coming-to-pc-and-xbla-this-summer-comic-con-this/#comments
Robot Entertainment announced today that third-person tower defender Orcs Must Die! will be published by Microsoft Studios and available later this summer for PC and Xbox Live Arcade. The developer previously gave us a window of "late August or early September."

Orcs Must Die! will be playable this weekend at San Diego Comic-Con in the Xbox Lounge, located at the Hard Rock Hotel, and Robot Entertainment will have an OMD prequel comic book available at the show.

Not going to Comic-Con, but still want to get your hands on the transmedia companion fiction that is sure to deliver Great Gatsby nuance to the Orcs Must Die universe? Don't worry, the comic will be available in a digital format "later this summer, also at no charge."

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>Comic-Con-2011microsoftMicrosoft-Game-Studiosmicrosoft-studiosorcs-must-diepcrobot-entertainmentxboxMon, 18 Jul 2011 10:45:00 ESThttp://www.joystiq.com/2011/07/18/nintendos-comic-con-lounge-stocked-with-mario-zelda-rhythm-he/http://www.joystiq.com/2011/07/18/nintendos-comic-con-lounge-stocked-with-mario-zelda-rhythm-he/http://www.joystiq.com/2011/07/18/nintendos-comic-con-lounge-stocked-with-mario-zelda-rhythm-he/#comments
To keep you from ever having to look at an actual comic at Comic-Con, another game company has announced its lineup of playable demos. You'll be able to play a great deal of Nintendo's recent and upcoming 3DS lineup, most of its Wii lineup ... and Dragon Quest Monsters Joker 2 on DS.

Bring your DS and/or 3DS when you go. From 4-6 pm on July 21, Nintendo will host a Pokémon Black/White meetup. The Lounge will also have a giant Pokédex 3D AR marker of Reshiram for you to take commemorative pictures with, and a "gallery" of oversized AR Cards. There will even be downloadable maps for Dragon Quest IX!

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>3dscomic-con-2011dsfortune-streetkid-icarus-uprisingLegend-of-Zelda-2010mario-kart-3dsmario-kart-7nintendopokedex-3drhythm-heavenrhythm-heaven-feversuper-mario-3dsuper-mario-3d-landThe-Legend-of-Zelda-Skyward-SwordwiiMon, 18 Jul 2011 10:15:00 ESThttp://www.joystiq.com/2011/07/13/play-new-rabbids-rayman-and-just-dance-games-at-comic-con/http://www.joystiq.com/2011/07/13/play-new-rabbids-rayman-and-just-dance-games-at-comic-con/http://www.joystiq.com/2011/07/13/play-new-rabbids-rayman-and-just-dance-games-at-comic-con/#comments
Ubisoft has announced its totally non-comic-related (but perhaps comical) contributions to the July 21-24 Comic-Con event, including opportunities to play its new games. Booth 4245 in the Exhibit Hall will host playable demos of Rabbids: Alive & Kicking, Just Dance 3, and Rayman Origins. On July 23, Ubisoft will hold an "Assassin's Creed: The Creation of a Universe" panel, featuring a preview of the Assassin's Creed Embers animated short.

Outside of the Comic-Con venue itself, Ubisoft and "The Nerd Machine" are setting up a "Nerd HQ" in downtown San Francisco, where players will find demos of Rayman Origins. Yes, "Nerd HQ" is somehow not inside Comic-Con.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>assassins-creed-emberscomic-con-2011just-dance-3microsoftnintendoplaystationps3raving-rabbids-alive-and-kickingrayman-originsubisoftwiixboxWed, 13 Jul 2011 22:00:00 ESThttp://www.joystiq.com/2011/07/11/marvel-vs-capcom-3-producer-hosting-panel-at-comic-con/http://www.joystiq.com/2011/07/11/marvel-vs-capcom-3-producer-hosting-panel-at-comic-con/http://www.joystiq.com/2011/07/11/marvel-vs-capcom-3-producer-hosting-panel-at-comic-con/#comments
Capcom veteran and Marvel Vs. Capcom 3 Producer/Director Ryota Niitsuma will be hosting a pannel at this year's Comic-Con, where conventionistas will be the first to take a sneak peek at ... something. The schedule teases a new reveal of some kind, urging fighting fans to come to the pannel to hear "the fantastic news" about the series.

What that news may be remains shrouded in mystery for the moment, but true believers can at least look forward to a Q&A session with Niitsuma. Attendees will also have the chance to fight on stage for "fantastic prizes" (in the game, probably). We expect at least one person will be kicked hundreds and hundreds of times.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>CapcomComic-ConComic-Con-2011Marvel-vs-Capcom-3Marvel-vs-Capcom-3-Fate-of-Two-WorldsmicrosoftMVC3playstationps3Ryota-NiitsumaxboxMon, 11 Jul 2011 12:55:00 ESThttp://www.joystiq.com/2011/07/08/sotas-new-darksiders-darkstalkers-and-okamiden-toys-go-to-comi/http://www.joystiq.com/2011/07/08/sotas-new-darksiders-darkstalkers-and-okamiden-toys-go-to-comi/http://www.joystiq.com/2011/07/08/sotas-new-darksiders-darkstalkers-and-okamiden-toys-go-to-comi/#comments
Toymaker SOTA has announced that it's prepping a trio of exclusive, licensed video game-based items for this year's San Diego Comic-Con International, which runs July 21-24. The biggie (and by that we mean nearly a foot tall) is a statue ($160) of Morrigan and Lilith from the gothic fighter Darkstalkers, which depicts the two as they "fall, together, in a loose embrace, unaware of how much longer they have together" and "freezes in time a moment that Morrigan and Lilith wish to last forever." SOTA's words, not ours.

Smaller and fluffier, a keychain-sized Okamiden plush will be included as part of a "San Diego Comic-Con Impulse Pak" ($40) that features three of SOTA's non-game-related Bobble Budds. Finally, there's our favorite of the bunch: Darksiders' War astride his horse, Ruin, in an LED-lit statue (above, $250) that looks as hot as the flames erupting from the Apocalypse rider's steed.

All three items will be available at the show and through SOTA's online store. You can view more pictures and details at the source link.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>capcomcomic-con-2011DarksidersDarksiders-Wrath-of-WarDarkstalkersokamiokamidensan-diego-comic-con-2011sota-toystoysFri, 08 Jul 2011 02:00:00 ESThttp://www.joystiq.com/2011/06/30/voltron-comic-con-panel-includes-thqs-video-games/http://www.joystiq.com/2011/06/30/voltron-comic-con-panel-includes-thqs-video-games/http://www.joystiq.com/2011/06/30/voltron-comic-con-panel-includes-thqs-video-games/#comments
No matter how much our rational selves tell us that licensed games based on a rebooted Voltron won't be good -- can't be good -- there's a part of us that still holds out hope for a modern and awesome interactive Voltron. It's the "Voltron" part of our brains.

We should get our first inkling about what THQ plans to do with the license on July 21, during the first-ever Voltron panel at Comic-Con. Among the robo-lion dignitaries scheduled to present at the panel is THQ producer Adam Affrunti. The panel is supposed to feature, among other things, a presentation of all the new Voltron content on the way -- including video games. We'll find out then just how dashed our tiny hopes are to be.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>adam-affrunticomic-con-2011thqvoltronvoltron-forceThu, 30 Jun 2011 15:40:00 ESThttp://www.joystiq.com/2011/06/23/new-dragon-age-2-dlc-mass-effect-3-demo-playable-at-comic-con/http://www.joystiq.com/2011/06/23/new-dragon-age-2-dlc-mass-effect-3-demo-playable-at-comic-con/http://www.joystiq.com/2011/06/23/new-dragon-age-2-dlc-mass-effect-3-demo-playable-at-comic-con/#comments
Going to Comic-Con won't just let you meet all the most enthusiastic Dragon Age cosplayers. It'll also let you get an early look at new Dragon Age content! BioWare announced that it will debut a new Dragon Age 2 DLC pack at the event, which runs from July 21 - 24. BioWare's demos will be located in the developer's "base in the Hilton Gaslamp hotel."

In addition to Dragon Age 2, fans will also have the opportunity to play Mass Effect 3. And to guarantee the maximum concentration of cosplayers, BioWare is holding a costume contest on July 22.